Nathan MacKinnon chucks knuckles with Barrett Hayton- Source: Getty

During the Friday night game between the Colorado Avalanche and Utah Hockey Club, Avs alternate captain Nathan MacKinnon dropped his gloves to engage in a fight with Uath forward Barrett Hayton.

Artturi Lehkonen opened the scoring for the Avalanche at 11:52 of the second period with a snap shot, assisted by Nathan MacKinnon. Later, with under a minute left in the second period and the Avs still up 1-0, MacKinnon got into it with Barrett Hayton. There was some pushing and shoving before both players dropped their gloves.

MacKinnon managed to throw several punches before knocking Hayton to the ice. The refs quickly separated him while another official held the Utah forward down. The Avs’ alternate captain received appreciation from the bench as he skated off at the end of the period.

Nathan MacKinnon DROPED THE GLOVES with Barrett Hayton 😱🥊 pic.twitter.com/bCDJg6iEOu

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) December 28, 2024

Utah’s Nick Schmaltz equalized early in the third period at 3:42 with a tip-in goal, assisted by Mikhail Sergachev and Logan Cooley. The game is tied 1-1 halfway into the third period at the time of writing.